Team Insight

TEAM BASKETBALL has more kids and the leagues order more uniforms, more oen, than schools." Meanwhile, for Keith Manning, owner of Jack Pearl's Sports Center in Battle Creek, MI, basketball is not on the sales leaderboard. "e basketball business is average — it's not one of our higher-end seasons," he admits. "For us, basketball is about 50 percent uniforms and 50 percent hardgoods." He notes that "travel is picking up a little bit more, but high school is not the greatest — it's mostly balls, equipment and warm-ups." Manning points to warm-ups and shooting shirts – which kids purchase themselves and then keep – as the biggest sellers. "Hardgoods sales have declined since prices have gone up, especially for balls. We do pack- age deals with balls, but instead of selling 12 balls each to boys' and girls' teams, we're now selling six and six," he explains. On a positive note, the dealer handles a lot of spirit wear orders for schools as well as travel teams, "more with high schools and middle schools than with travel, but we have a couple of big travel clubs," says Manning. "School budgets are getting cut a little each year and they're not buying as much, so they've had to rely on boosters and fundraisers and coaches have also had to raise money. Even though schools aren't buying as much, the coaches are buying products with the money made from fundraising." Supply and Demand Double Team Although supply chain disruptions continue, they're not as severe as they were at the height of the pandemic the past two basketball seasons. "We're definitely experiencing long lag times with deliveries and it's tough with high schools that need particular items," says Proulx, of Stateline Sports. "It's been a challenge, but we've been able to keep up with it." For Grantham, of All-Star Sports, keeping track of each manufacturer's available inventory has been challenging. "B2B portals for vendors are very important — when a vendor's B2B site is accurate and up to date, it's very helpful. "e issue is whether manufacturers actu- ally have what they say they have," he adds. "Relying on B2B portals is easier than having to call multiple vendors for a particular item. Customers used to be brand-conscious, but supply issues have come into play and have necessitated flexibility in sourcing. People need function over branding." At Jack Pearl's Sports Center, some orders for basketballs will be delayed unless they're ordered early. "It's a balancing act. We don't want too much inventory, but we need to have enough," Manning says. "We order hardgoods as needed because we don't have the storage capacity to keep a large inventory. We do stock local school colors in basketball padding." Slam Dunks: Team Stores, Sublimation As has been the case for the past few seasons, online team stores continue to be an important and growing part of the basketball business for most dealers. "We use OrderMyGear and we operate a lot of online team stores, especially for spiritwear, which helps keep us going from month to month," says Manning. of Jack Pearl's Sports Center. "Our key time periods are August/ September, February/March/April and November/December and the online team stores provide a steady business year-round." Likewise, Bodart, of Hoosier Sporting Goods, knows that online team stores are critical to his business. "It's nice because coaches and schools don't have to collect the money for the products, which eliminates the need for them to be bankers. e kids and parents order online and then we deliver," he says. Grantham, of All-Star Sports, considers online team stores to be a great resource to offer basketball teams flexibility and selection, while also moving the monetary onus onto the parents. "Players have a greater selection and from the dealer perspective, we can offer that flexibility to the end user. Customers can pick from what best fits their needs," he says. In terms of uniform styles, sublimation continues to rule the court. "High schools and middle schools are on a three-year cycle, whereas travel teams order uniforms every year. ey get a little more life out of a sublimated reversible uniform. ey're a little more ex- pensive, but they last longer," says Jack Pearl's Manning. "Sublimated reversible [garments] such as home/away jerseys are especially pop- ular with middle school programs." All-Star Sports' Grantham is always fielding requests for "cheaper and faster" and he be- lieves sublimation technology has made huge bounds in reliability and speed. "Sublimation is easier, more forgiving and more functional," he says. "However, many collegiate and high school varsity teams are looking for high- end fabric and decoration options, including tackle twill." n 26 • Team Insight ~ January/February 2023 teaminsightmag.com ® A Better Way To Play www.ProNine.com 440-349-3500

• Cover